FLAP—

A gale swept over the conifers outside the Iron Forest, making them rise and fall like dark green waves. Piercing screams rolled in from the distance, one after another like claps of thunder.

Jiang Qiu’s heart pounded in his chest. His overloaded right hand felt like a searing-hot furnace. Without waiting for it to cool, he gritted his teeth and fired five consecutive arrows at the avian Demon Beasts spiraling toward the center of the Iron Forest!

[Advanced Archery Training x1]

[Advanced Archery Training x1]

[...]

[Ancient Martial Arrow (Mastery)]

[Mastery Points: 0/10]

"HUFF..." Jiang Qiu sucked in a deep breath, his chest heaving violently. "HAAA..."

Around him, Iron Trees lay scattered on the ground, their diagonally sliced stumps glinting coldly. The corpses of Cyan Feathered Birds lay atop those of Iron Feather Birds.

Lifting his gaze, he saw that the sky a kilometer away, above the Iron Forest, resembled a deep-sea vortex, sucking in the great flocks of Iron Feather Birds and dozens of Cyan Feathered Birds that circled at its edges.

At the center of that vortex, a One-eyed Owl shrieked toward the heavens, a hawk leading its flock of sparrows. The Iron Feather Birds swarmed it like flying ants, and the Cyan Feathered Birds dipped their heads in submission. Nearly all the Demon Beasts had been summoned to it!

Below them, where the largest group of people had gathered, indistinct figures could be seen. Arrow after arrow, wreathed in Qi Blood, soared toward the sky, like red fireflies flying into a black sea.

"SCREEE—"

Another soul-shattering shriek rang out. The One-eyed Owl at the heart of the vortex flapped its wings, unleashing a downpour of purple light. A sky full of iron and cyan feathers followed suit.

Instantly, an overwhelming deluge crashed down, accompanied by the sharp sound of cracking metal as countless suits of Armor shattered.

"A lot of people are going to die in this test..."

The helpless whisper drifted over. Jiang Qiu’s gaze sharpened. He turned his head and saw Sun Yongsheng approaching, dragging his Great Bow. His shoulder guard was shattered and bloodstained, and his right arm trembled.

’To everyone else, this is just a test from the Military Department. Most of us haven’t even reached Mastery in the Archery Dao. How many Demon Beasts can eighty-three people kill?’

’The three hundred-plus Middle Level Non-commissioned Officers of the Iron Flesh Realm and the five Senior Non-commissioned Officers of the Steel Bone Realm are the real core of this operation. A single battle-hardened Senior Non-commissioned Officer is probably worth as much as half the participants in this ’Prodigy Program’.’

’We’ve drawn our bows, killed some beasts, gotten injured, and run out of stamina. Now that a High Tier Demon Beast has even appeared, it’s time to retreat and rest...’

With this thought, Sun Yongsheng leaned against the smoothly cut trunk of an Iron Tree. He let out a long sigh, as if he couldn’t even hear the roars of the Demon Beasts in the distance.

"Didn’t you bring any Blood Boiling Liquid?" Jiang Qiu asked, his voice low. He casually wiped his nose where the purple light had just grazed it, the pad of his index finger coming away stained with blood.

"Don’t bother talking to that slacker. This kid rests after the first round of every test. His kill count is always dead last!"

A top prodigy stomped over angrily from nearby, and the eight other prodigies from the Outer City naturally gathered around, their breathing as heavy as thunder.

"Look who’s talking. You planning on charging in now?" Sun Yongsheng’s Great Bow vanished with a *whoosh* as he glanced at the newcomer. "Qiu Hu, we’re not Yang Yu. She dared to charge forward even before she reached the Steel Bone Realm or achieved Mastery in the Archery Dao.

Drawing a bow fifty or sixty times in a row is our limit. Isn’t it enough that we made every shot count?

Besides, if I’m not at the bottom of the list, one of you will be. What’s the difference...?"

"Sun Yongsheng, you always say such goddamn discouraging things!"

Qiu Hu sputtered, glaring at Sun Yongsheng with obvious annoyance.

The other prodigies sighed to themselves and, one by one, put away their Qi Blood Bows.

"Qiu Hu, if I draw my bow again, my right arm will definitely fracture. It would have a huge impact on the college entrance exams."

"Let’s rest. The prodigies from the Inner City, aside from Yang Yu, are probably just like us, waiting on the fringes for an opportunity. Once the Non-commissioned Officers kill the One-eyed Owl, the other Demon Beasts will scatter. We can pad our kill counts then..."

"Yeah, my Armor was already destroyed by a Cyan Feathered Bird. If I get clipped by the One-eyed Owl, I’ll definitely be severely injured..."

GULP...

The sound of someone swallowing, as clear as a bell striking in an empty valley, interrupted their conversation. In an instant, it drew everyone’s gaze toward Jiang Qiu, who stood alone not far away.

CLINK... CLANK...

An empty vial fell to the ground and trembled twice.

"If I wait that long, I’ll lose my chance to take first. And more people will die."

The quiet murmur couldn’t suppress the fire in Jiang Qiu’s blood. He stared into the distance, his eyes reflecting two downpours: the "Arrow Rain" from above, and the arrow rain from below, both impenetrably dense.

Flying Demon Beasts, their numbers possibly exceeding ten thousand, fell from the sky one after another, while the firing rate of the three-hundred-strong force of Non-commissioned Officers was rapidly declining.

The One-eyed Owl swooped low, knocking over swaths of Iron Trees. With nowhere to dodge, Middle Level Non-commissioned Officers were pinned to the ground by countless iron and cyan feathers.

Even the Senior Non-commissioned Officers scattered like rats, their Armor disintegrating.

’If they can’t take down the One-eyed Owl, more people will die. Maybe this is how Mom and Dad died all those years ago.’

’The powerless always die a brutal death at the hands of Demon Beasts.’

At this thought, Jiang Qiu planted his feet Half-Step apart. The muscles on his bare back rippled and tensed as he raised his bow, aiming at the flock of Flying Demon Beasts circling a kilometer away.

His eyes, like cold stars, were gradually invaded by bloodshot veins, and his black hair seemed to buzz as it stood on end.

’Now that I have achieved Mastery in the Archery Dao, I should be able to kill a High Tier Demon Beast.’

’What’s the difference between this One-eyed Owl and that Demon Plant back in Qingmu Town?’

’Even if this arrow doesn’t kill it, I’ll still break its wing!’

The Blood Boiling Liquid was as potent as ever, making it feel as if his heart were being roasted over a fire, squeezing out a ceaseless torrent of Qi Blood.

The Demon Beast blood on his skin vaporized into steam. As he drew back the arrow with his right arm, the blood patterns on the bow and the Red Pearls at either end flared with brilliant light, as if a crimson day had dawned!

[Blood Circulation]!

DRRRAW—

As he drew the bow to a half-moon, the dust at his feet was whipped up as if by a gale, and gravel rattled and rolled five meters away.

[Aim]!

The hair of Sun Yongsheng, Qiu Hu, and the others whipped in the wind, their eyes growing wider and wider. "Is he trying to expend all his Qi Blood in one shot?"

"The Blood Boiling Liquid is already intense. Draining a full supply of Qi Blood all at once... even a Horizontal Training genius in the Iron Flesh Realm would suffer bone fractures."

"Those Demon Beasts are at least two thousand meters away. You can’t aim properly when you’re forcibly expending all your Qi Blood. If this arrow only ends up hitting an Iron Feather Bird, well... tsk, tsk."

Several of the prodigies shook their heads and sighed softly. Only Qiu Hu stared with a burning gaze, his palms as hot as charcoal.

’Now *this* is what I imagined joining the Prodigy Program would feel like!’

’*This* is what it means to be a goddamn prodigy!’

VMMMM—

The bowstring was already drawn to a full moon, his arms like an abyss sucking away his Qi Blood. Jiang Qiu clenched his jaw with a CRACK. A steely light glinted on his arms as he abruptly pulled the string back another three inches!

[Powerful Penetration] + [Steel Arm]!

WHOOSH—

In that instant, sand and stone pelted Sun Yongsheng’s face. It felt as if a wall of wind pressure was crushing his chest, flattening his windpipe. His narrow eyes stretched wide. "This shot... it completely surpasses the Proficient level!"

Stunned, the other prodigies also snapped to their senses. Sand blew into their wide-open eyes, yet they felt no irritation.

Their gazes, thoughts, heartbeats, and even their breaths were all captivated by the Conical Arrowhead Jiang Qiu had aimed toward the sky. Faintly, they seemed to see a Flood Dragon on the [Black Flood Dragon] bow roaring at the heavens, its furious, slitted pupil becoming the cold glint on the tip of the arrow!

BANG!

The instant he released his fingers, a shockwave kicked up a gale. The muscles in Jiang Qiu’s arm rippled down to his abdomen like a great wave. The ground beneath his feet buckled as if struck by a thousand-ton weight, sending topsoil blasting ten feet high!

ROAR—

The loosed arrow vanished from sight. Everyone’s heart skipped a beat. When they looked up again, they saw the branches of the Iron Trees along its path being shredded like straw hit by a rocket launcher, rustling as they rained down!

The Conical Arrow, wreathed in the image of a Black Flood Dragon, had already shot out of the Iron Forest, hurtling toward the One-eyed Owl at least two thousand meters away!